Martin's attorney: Harassment went 'far beyond' hazing

Nov. 7, 2013
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An attorney for Miami Dolphins tackle Jonathan Martin, shown here after a game earlier this season, said in a statement on Thursday that the harassment the second-year player suffered at the hands of teammates went 'far beyond' typical hazing. / Steve Mitchell, USA TODAY Sports

by USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY

by USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY

Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin, a second-year player who left the team last week amid allegations that he had suffered persistent abuse at the hands of teammates, issued a statement on Thursday night through his attorney, David Cornwell:

"Jonathan Martin's toughness is not at issue. Jonathan has started every game with the Miami Dolphins since he was drafted in 2012. At Stanford, he was the anchor for Jim Harbaugh's "smash mouth" brand of football and he protected Andrew Luck's blind side.

The issue is Jonathan's treatment by his teammates. Jonathan endured harassment that went far beyond the traditional locker room hazing. For the entire season-and-a-half that he was with the Dolphins, he attempted to befriend the same teammates who subjected him to the abuse with the hope that doing so would end the harassment. This is a textbook reaction of victims of bullying. Despite these efforts, the taunting continued. Beyond the well-publicized voice mail with its racial epithet, Jonathan endured a malicious physical attack on him by a teammate, and daily vulgar comments such as the quote at the bottom. These facts are not in dispute.

Eventually, Jonathan made a difficult choice. Despite his love for football, Jonathan left the Dolphins. Jonathan looks forward to getting back to playing football. In the meantime, he will cooperate fully with the NFL investigation."